Product and Service Purchase-Cycle Tracking

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for using wireless communication devices to track the effects of advertising are described herein. In some embodiments, a method includes representing the identity of an advertising impression, that is, a specific advertisement, with an impression code. According to exemplary embodiments, the advertising impression is directed to at least one commodity, such as one or more products and services. The method may also further include receiving the impression into a computer-readable memory of a wireless communication device. The method further includes detecting the wireless communication device, and then providing the impression code during the purchase of the commodity. The method continues with obtaining the identity of the advertising impression from the impression code. The method additionally includes creating a transaction record, wherein transaction record includes the advertising impression identity and an identity of the commodity, and storing the transaction record in a database.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods of informationtracking, and more specifically to systems and methods for usingcommunication devices to track the effects of advertising.

BACKGROUND

Advertisers and marketers are generally not perfectly effective intargeting consumers. In some cases, advertisers and marketers may wasteas much as half of their advertising budget during the process ofreaching their customers. Some of this waste may be caused by the lackof ability to track customer information. Thus, advertisers andmarketers may place a great deal of value on tracking consumerinformation such as customer demographics data, customer response toadvertising campaigns, efficiency of sales channels, and the like. Thisdata may enable advertisers and marketers to eliminate some of the wasteand improve their ability to reach consumers.

Currently, some advertisers and marketers have attempted to gain insightinto consumer purchasing habits by tracking consumer purchases withconsumer cards. For example, grocery and retail stores may issue“membership cards” that provide discounts. Each of these consumer cards,which may be conveniently carried by a consumer, is typically providedwith a unique consumer identification number. When presented at pointsof sale, these consumer cards may enable retailers to associateconsumers to specific purchases. Further, they may enable retailers torecognize consumer purchasing habits and trends. Such information may befurther passed on to advertisers and marketers, who may use theinformation to direct their advertising budgets and techniques.Similarly, some advertisers and marketers may obtain consumer purchasinghabits from credit card providers, who may easily amass data on creditcard users and their purchasing habits.

Consumer cards and credit card transactions may not provide all theinformation needed by advertisers and marketers, however, as they onlytrack actual purchases, which may not necessarily reflect responses toadvertising. In addition, the information obtained may be fragmentedwhen a consumer uses different membership cards or different creditcards for purchase transactions. In contrast, advertisers and marketerstypically would like to be able to track consumer purchase cycles fromfirst impression to the point of sale. This complete perspective mayenable advertisers and marketers to better ascertain consumer habits andtrends and direct their marketing practices. Therefore, it would beadvantageous to provide a system that does not unduly burden consumers,yet offers a way to track consumer purchase cycles from first impressionto the point of sale in exchange for incentives.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods for using wireless communication devices to trackthe effects of advertising are described herein. In different aspects, amethod may include representing the identity of an advertisingimpression, that is, a specific advertisement, with an impression code.Generally, the advertising impression is directed to at least onecommodity, such as one or more products and services. The method mayalso further include receiving the impression into a computer-readablememory of a wireless communication device. The method further includesdetecting the wireless communication device, and then providing theimpression code during the purchase of the commodity. The method thencontinues with obtaining the identity of the advertising impression fromthe impression code. The method additionally includes creating atransaction record including the advertising impression identity and anidentity of the commodity, and storing the transaction record in adatabase.

A wireless communication device is also described herein. In someembodiments, the device includes a receiver that is employed to receiveone or more impression codes. The impression code is associated with anadvertising impression for a commodity. The device further comprises acomputer-readable memory that is capable of storing the impression code.Moreover, the device also comprises a transmitter that is capable oftransmitting the impression code.

Moreover, a purchase cycle tracking device is further described herein.In various embodiments, the device includes a receiver that is capableof receiving an impression code during the purchase of one or morecommodities. The device also includes an analyzer that is employed toobtain the identity of the advertising impression from each of theimpression codes. The device further comprises a recorder configured tocreate a transaction record for the impression code. Each transactionrecord includes the advertising impression identity and an identity ofthe commodity. The device also includes a computer-readable databaseconfigured to store the transaction records.

Other systems, methods, and/or computer program products according toembodiments will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponreview of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, and/or computerprogram products be included within this description, be within thescope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanyingclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The teachings herein are described with reference to the accompanyingfigures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating various embodiments of anenvironment 100 in which purchase cycle tracking may be implemented.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating selected components of a wirelesscommunication device 102 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating selected components of a codeserver 136 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the contents of an exemplary codeserver database 138 shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process used to tracka purchase cycle using impression codes.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a exemplary process fortransmitting one or more impression codes during an in-person purchasetransaction.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process fortransmitting one or more impression codes during a purchase transactionconducted on a wireless communication device 102.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process for creatingtransaction records from one or more impression codes during a purchasetransaction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the presentinvention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevantfor a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating,for purposes of clarity, other elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram 100 illustrating various embodiments of anenvironment 100 in which purchase cycle tracking may be implemented.According to various embodiments, the environment 100 may include awireless communication device 102, which may be operated by a user 104.FIG. 1 also illustrates an audio/visual advertising impression source106, a World Wide Web (Web) advertising impression source 108, a printadvertising impression source 110, an audio advertising impressionsource 112, an in-personal advertising impression source 114, and anelectronic message advertising impression source 116. Specifically, theaudio/visual impression source 106 may include television commercials,infomercials, product placement in movies, and the like.

Additionally, the environment 100 may include a cash register 130, whichmay be connected to and in bi-directional communication with a point ofsale server 132. The environment 100 also includes a reader 134 that maybe connected to and in bi-directional communication with a code server136. The code server 136, in turn, may be connected to and inbi-directional communication with a code server database 138. The codeserver 136 may also be bi-drectionally linked to the point of saleserver 132.

The cash register 130 may be used to process purchase transactions. Forexample, the cash register 130 may be equipped with a barcode readerconfigured to read Universal Product Code (UPC) codes present on somemerchandise, or receive manually entered purchase transactions. Thecasher register 130 may communicate with sale server 132 so that the UPCcodes and the manually processed transactions are correlated withcommodities and prices.

The reader 134 may be configured to wirelessly retrieve one or moreimpression codes, such as impression codes “A-F”, associated withadvertising impressions 118-128, respectively, from the wirelesscommunication device 102. Impression codes are described in furtherdetail below. In some embodiments, the reader 134 is configured toautomatically detect the presence of one or more impression codes in awireless communication device, such as wireless communication device102, when the wireless communication device is in determined to be inthe vicinity of the reader 134.

For example, the reader 134 may sense the presence of wirelesscommunication devices in the vicinity, such as wireless communicationdevice 102, by continuously monitoring the environment for radio signalsemitted by the wireless communication devices. Typically, wirelesscommunication devices may emit such radio signals if they are in“standby mode”. These signals may include auto-registration signals,update signals, and the like. Moreover, the reader 134 may be configuredto detect all major wireless telecommunication signals, includinganalogy and digital signals. These telecommunication signals may includesignals that conform to standards such as Global System for MobileCommunication (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time DivisionMultiple Access (TDMA), Personal Communications Service (PCS), PersonalCommunications Network (PCN), and equivalent telecommunication signalsof any frequency.

Once the wireless communication device is detected, the reader 134 mayfurther retrieve those impression codes. In other embodiments, thereader 134 may be configured to only detect and retrieve impressioncodes when the reader is activated by the code server 136.

In additional embodiments, the reader 134 may be configured to retrieveimpression codes, such as impression codes “A-F” of impression sources118-128, respectively, from the wireless communication device 102 via avariety of wireless technologies. In some embodiments, the reader 134may include a wireless RF transceiver, an infrared transceiver, and/or amagnetic reader and retrieve impression codes via wireless technologiessuch as, but not limited to, cellular, PCS, WiFi, Ultrawideband, and/orBluetooth. In other embodiments, the reader 134 may be configured with auser interface that enables the user 104 to manually input theimpression code. Specifically, the user interface may include, but isnot limited to, combinations of one or more of keypads, keyboards, mousedevices, touch screens, microphones, speech recognition packages, andother suitable devices or other electronic/software selection methods.

The code server 136 may be configured to coordinate the detection andretrieval of the impression codes from wireless communication device 102by the reader 134. For example, in some embodiments, the code server 136may only activate the reader 134 to detect and retrieve impression codeswhen the cash register 130 is processing a transaction. In particularembodiments, the code server 136 may obtain transaction information fromthe point of sale server 132, and use the information to facilitate theretrieval of impression codes from the wireless communication device102. Moreover, the code server 136 may be employed to transmit theretrieved impression codes to the code server database 138, as well asanalyze stored impression codes. It will be appreciated that inadditional embodiments, the cash register 130 and the point of saleserver 132 may be substituted with other payment processing equipment,so long as the payment processing equipment may inform the code server136 of purchase transactions.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the Web advertising impressionsource 108 may include click-thru ads, banner ads, pop-up ads, Web pageembedded advertising, Web-cast multimedia commercials, Web-cast audiocommercials, promotional web sites, promotional emails, and the like.The print advertising impression source 110 may include billboards,newspaper and magazine ads and inserts, product brochures andinformation sheets, store front signs, coupon books, and the like.

The audio advertising impression source 112 may include broadcast radiocommercials, public address audio commercials (e.g., storeannouncements), telecommunication calls with retailers, vendors ormanufacturers, and the like. In-person advertising impression source 114may include person-to-person marketing statements by sales staff,word-of-mouth referrals from other consumers, and the like. Finally,electronic message advertising impression source 116 may includeadvertisings impressions transmitted by email, text messages, shortmessage service (SMS) texts, and the like. It will be appreciated thatthe above described forms of advertising impression sources are examplesrather than limitations. Accordingly, other embodiments of theenvironment 100 may include additional advertising impression sources,so long as these sources are capable of conveying advertisingimpressions.

Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 1, each of the sources 106-114 mayrespectively provide one or more advertising impressions, such as theadvertising impressions 118-128. For example, audio visual source 106may provide a television commercial, i.e., advertising impression 118,for a particular product or service. Likewise, Web source 108 may be aweb page that that provides an advertising impression 120, e.g., pop-upadvertisement, for a particular product or service, and so on and soforth. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that each of the advertisingimpressions 118-128 may also be for a plurality of related products orservices. For example, the print source 110 may provide a magazineadvertisement, i.e., advertising impression 122, which markets all thevehicle models from a particular car manufacturer.

In accordance with some embodiments, each of the advertising impressions118-128 from the impression sources 106-116 may contain a uniqueimpression code, such as one of the impression codes “A-F” that relatesto the respective advertising impression. Specifically, the uniqueimpression codes “A-F” may include an alphanumeric string of numbersand/or letters, a binary code, an SMS code, a generated bar code, and anoptically-readable pictogram, (e.g., Semacode®, QR code). In furtherembodiments, the impression codes “A-F” may be a combination of strings,codes, and pictographs described above. Advertising impressions, such asthe advertising impressions 118-128, may also contain other forms of theimpression codes “A-F”, so long as the forms are capable of uniquelyidentifying an individual advertising impression from other advertisingimpressions. The identity of the corresponding advertising impressions118-128 may also be coded into the impression codes “A-F”.

In additional embodiments, the impression codes “A-F” may also identifythe commodity described by the advertising impressions 118-128. Forexample, the impression code “A” for a BellSouth advertising impression,such as the advertising impression 118, may identify the impression,e.g., television commercial no. 001, as well as the product, e.g., aBellSouth telephone, using a unique descriptor or identifier, e.g., aninternal BellSouth item number, or a commercial UPC number for theBellSouth telephone.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the audio visual advertisingimpression 118 from the audio visual source 106 may contain animpression code that is represented by “A.” Likewise, each of the otherexemplary advertising impressions 120-128 may contain a uniqueimpression code that is respectively represented by one of “B-F”. Insome embodiments, the unique impression code may be visually displayedto the user 104, such as in case of an alphanumeric impression code “C”that is contained in the print source advertising impression 122. Inother embodiments, the unique impression code may be aurally announcedto the user 104, such as in case of the audio source advertisingimpression 124 (e.g., impression code “D”) or the in-person sourceadvertising impression 126 (e.g., impression code “E”). It will beappreciated that “A-F” are used in FIG. 1 to represent actual impressioncodes, which may be in the forms describe above. In some embodiments,the user 104 may enter the respective unique impression codes into thewireless communication device 102.

In other embodiments, the unique impression codes may also be directlyprovided to the wireless communication device 102 via electronic oroptical transmission. For instance, impression code “F” may be providedvia an advertising impression 128 from an electronic message source 116,or an optically-readable print source advertising impression 122 from aprint source 110.

Specifically, in some examples, a pictogram impression code (e.g.,Semacode®), or impression code “C”, may be captured by the wirelesscommunication device 102 if the device is equipped with a camera. Inother examples, the electronic message source 116 may include radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags. In other words, impression codes,such as impression codes “F”, may be embedded in the RFID tags.Moreover, in such embodiments, the wireless communication device 102 maybe configure read and receive impression codes “F” from the RFID tags.

Moreover, once the impression codes “A-F” are captured, they may bestored by the wireless communication device 102 into SMS, generatedbarcode, text files, or other data formats. Accordingly, in someembodiments, the wireless communication device 102 may have the abilityto convert the impression codes “A-F” into other formats.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram 200 illustrating selected components of anexemplary wireless communication device 102 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingto various embodiments, the wireless communication device 102 is awireless telephone. According to other embodiments, the wirelesscommunication device 102 is a personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, or any other suitable communication device.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, according to various embodiments, the wirelesscommunication device 102 includes a housing 201 and internal componentsincluding a transceiver 202. A wireless interface 204 and a wiredinterface 206 are coupled to the transceiver 202. In some embodiments,the wireless interface 204 may include, but is not limited to, awireless RF interface (e.g. cellular, PCS, WiFi, Ultrawideband,Bluetooth, satellite transmissions, RFID, etc.), an infrared interface,and the like. In further embodiments, the wired interface 206 mayinclude a direct I/O interface, such as a SCSI interface, a serialinterface, a USB interface, and the like. The transceiver 202, inconjunction with interfaces 204 and 206, may enable the wirelesscommunication device 102 to connect with the Internet, communicate withother computing devices, as well as receive Web pages, instant textmessages, SMS messages, “computer cookies,” or other small data files.

Moreover, the wireless communication device 102 has processingcapabilities and memory suitable to store and executecomputer-executable instructions. In some embodiments, the wirelesscommunication device 102 includes one or more processors 208 and memory210. The memory 210 may include volatile and nonvolatile memory,removable and non-removable media implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information, such as computer-readableinstructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Suchmemory may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology suitable for implementation in aportable device.

A display interface module 212, a user interface module 214, a databaseinterface module 216, a code management module 218, and a code database220 may be stored in memory 210 of the wireless communication device102. In some embodiments, the display interface module 212 may be usedto drive a display 222 that presents visual data to the user 104 (FIG.1). The user interface module 214 may be used to receive inputs andoutputs from a user interface 224. In various embodiments, the userinterface 224 may include, but is not limited to, combinations of one ormore of keypads, keyboards, mouse devices, touch screens, microphones,speech recognition packages, and any other suitable devices or otherelectronic/software selection methods.

In additional embodiments, the display interface module 212 may includea micro-browser (e.g., Opera® Mini) that enables the user 104 to viewadvertising impressions, such as advertising impression 120, from Websources 108. The user 104 may then use the user interface 224 to selectone or more impression codes, such as code “B” contained in theadvertising impression 120. In certain embodiments, the code managementmodule 218 may have a software interface that interacts with themicro-browser. Accordingly, once the user 104 has selected the one ormore impression codes, the code management module 218 may retrieve theimpression codes and use the database interface module 216 to store theminto the code database 220.

In further embodiments, in addition to storing the impression codes intothe code database 220, the code management module 218 may also reformatthe impression codes, as describe above. In other embodiments, the codemanagement module 218 may create data records based on the impressioncodes for storage in the code database 220. By example rather thanlimitation, a data record may include customer identification, theidentity of the products relevant to a particular impression code (assupplied by the impression code describe above), originating device ofthe data record, current date and time of creation, that is, the dateand time the impression code is received by the wireless communicationdevice 102, etc. However, it will be appreciated that other informationthat is helpful to marketers or advertisers may also be collected andincluded in the data records. In some embodiments, as described below inFIG. 3, the code management module 218 may be configured to work inconcert with a code detection module 314 residing on the code server136.

The wireless communication device 102 may be connected with a desktop orportable computing device for the purpose of downloading impressioncodes. For example, the user 104 may have obtained impression codes,such as impression code “B”, from Web Sources 108 by browsing web siteson the Internet using a home personal computer (PC), and may desire totransfer the impression codes to the wireless communication device 102.In such embodiments, the wireless communication device 100 may beelectrically linked to the PC via the transceiver 202 and one of thewireless interface 204 (e.g., Bluetooth) and wired interface 206 (e.g.,USB). The PC may be installed with a software application thatcommunicates with the code management module 218. The softwareapplication may also enable the user 104 to save impression codes ontothe PC for eventual transfer. Thus, the code management module 218 maydownload the impression codes via the established link. Once downloaded,the code management module 218 may store the impression codes in thecode database 220, as describe above.

In other embodiments, the wireless communication device 102 may receiveimpression codes, such as impression code “F”, from electronic messageadvertising impressions 128. In these embodiments, the wirelesscommunication device 102 may receive the electronic messages thatinclude emails, text messages, and SMS text messages via the transceiver202, the wireless interface 204, and the wired interface 206. The codemanagement module 218 may then be employed to parse out the impressioncodes and store them into the code database 220 via database interfacemodule 216. In some embodiments, the impression codes may be convertedor placed in data records as describe above.

According to some embodiments, the user interface module 214 enables auser 104 to enter impression codes observed from sources, such as thesources 106 and 110-114. For example, the user 104 watching a televisioncommercial broadcast may observe an advertising impression, such as theadvertising impression 118, which includes a particular impression code,such as the impression code “A”. The particular impression code “A” maybe an alphanumeric string. The user 104 may then employ the userinterface 224 to enter the alphanumeric string into the wirelesscommunication device 102. Once entered, the alphanumeric string ispassed by the user interface module 214 to the code management module218, which may then store the impression code into the code database220. In particular embodiments, the impression codes may be converted orplaced in data records as describe above.

According to further embodiments, the wireless communication device 102may be configured to receive impression codes, such as code “B” and code“F”, respectively, from Web sources 108 and electronic message sources128 only when a user has supplied information to the respective sources.For example, a particular advertiser may elect to only provideimpression codes through its web site to the user 104, when he or she iswilling to supply his or her name and telephone number. In anotherexample, an advertiser may email an advertising impression that containsan impression code only if the user 104 supplies an email address to theadvertiser. In other embodiments, an advertiser may request otherpersonal information that includes name, address, phone numbers,employment data, and the like. It will be appreciated that marketers andadvertisers may also solicit other information from users (e.g.,hobbies, interests, income), so long as users are willing to providesuch information. In specific embodiments, an advertiser may provide auser who supplies personal information with a unique impression code sothat one or more purchases of the specific user 104, which correspond tothe impression code, may be tracked at a later time.

When the user 104 provides personal information, the wirelesscommunication device 102 may establish a link to an advertisingimpression source, such as Web source 108, via transceiver 202 and oneof wireless interface 204 and wired interface 206. The display moduleinterface 212 may be configured to display the information request fromthe advertising impression source on display 222. Once the wirelesscommunication device 102 receives the requested information via userinterface 224 and user interface module 214, the code management module218 may submit the requested information via the established link. Inturn, the code management module 218 may receive one or more impressioncodes, which are then stored in the code database 220 via databaseinterface module 216. In some embodiments, the impression codes may beconverted or placed in data records as describe above.

In additional embodiments, the user 104 may use a micro-browser includedin the display interface module 212 to purchase merchandise viaweb-based transactions. In some of these embodiments, the codemanagement module 218 may be configured so that the user 104 may use themicro-browser to trigger the code management module 218 during thepurchase transaction. Once triggered, the code management module 218 mayinform the code server 136 of the purchases during the purchasetransactions.

In other embodiments, the code management module 218 may be configuredto automatically prompt the user 104 to allow it to inform code server136 of the purchases when the user is making a purchase using themicro-browser. For example, the code management module 218 may promptthe user 104 when the micro-browser is used to request a securedwebpage, such as a webpage that is secured using Secure Socket Layer(SSL) mechanism, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) mechanism, and thelike.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, while the code database 220 may bestored in memory 210 of the wireless communication device 102, it willbe appreciated that code 220 may also be located remotely from wirelesscommunication 102. For example, code database 220 may be located on aremote server, such as the code server 136. In such embodiments, thedatabase interface module 216 may employ wireless interface 204 or wiredinterface 206 to access, that is, read and write data to code database220.

Finally, according to various embodiments, the impression codes, such ascodes “A-F”, may be configured by marketers and advertisers to representand provide incentive, such as discounts or upgrades on commodities, toinduce users to eventually submit the impression codes. In this way,marketers and advertisers may ensure that the maximum number ofimpression codes is received.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram 300 illustrating exemplary components of thecode server 136 shown in FIG. 1. The code server 136 has processingcapabilities and memory suitable to store and executecomputer-executable instructions. In this example, the code server 136includes one or more processors 302 and memory 304. The memory 304 mayinclude volatile and nonvolatile memory, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage ofinformation, such as computer-readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data. Such memory includes, but is not limitedto, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM,digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, RAID storage systems, or any other medium which can beused to store the desired information and which can be accessed by acomputer system.

Stored in the memory 304 of the code server 136 may be a transceivermodule 306, a transaction interface module 308, a reader interfacemodule 310, a device detection module 312, a code detection module 314,a code analysis module 316, a database interface module 318, and a userinterface module 320. As described above, the code server 136 may alsobe connected to the code server database 138.

The transaction interface module 308 may be employed to determine whenone or more purchase transactions are completed. The transactioninterface module 308 may determine this via the transceiver module 306,and an appropriate communication interface (not shown) to one of thepoint of sale server 132 and cash register 130. In some embodiments, thetransaction interface module 308 may report the completion transactionsto the device detection module 312.

In other embodiments, the reader 134 may be configured to detect signalstransmitted by wireless communication devices, such as wirelesscommunication device 102, which are in standby mode. In suchembodiments, the device detection module 312 may activate the reader 134via the reader interface module 310 to detect wireless communicationdevices, such as communication device 102, which are in the proximity ofthe reader 134. For example, the device detection module 312 mayactivate the reader 134 after receiving notification from thetransaction interface module 308 that one or more purchase transactionsare complete. Subsequently, upon detecting one or more wirelesscommunication devices, the reader 134 may report the detection to thedevice detection module 312.

The code detection module 314 may be configured to detect impressioncodes that are present in one or more wireless communication devices102. In particular embodiments, the code detection module 314 may beconfigured to detect data records, as described above, which contain theimpression codes. The code detection module 314 may use thecommunication capability of the reader 134 to interact with the codemanagement module 218 of the exemplary wireless communication device102. In this way, the presence of one or more impression codes in thecode database 220 of exemplary wireless communication device 102 may bedetected. In some embodiments, the code detection module 314 may furtheremploy the transceiver module 306 and the transaction interface module308 to acquire a list of purchased commodities from one of the cashregister 130 and point of sale server 132.

In this way, the code detection module 314 may determine which, if any,of a plurality of the impression codes present in a wirelesscommunication device 102 correspond to the purchased commodities bycomparing the commodities corresponding to the impression codes detectedfrom the wireless communication device 102 with the purchasedcommodities, according to exemplary embodiments. Subsequently, the codeserver 136 may then activate the code analysis module 316 to acquire thecorrelated impression codes via reader 134. In some embodiments, thecode detection module 314 may be activated after the device detectionmodule 312 provides notification that the wireless communication device102 is present.

Where the impression codes are included in data records created by thecode management module 218 of the wireless communication device 102, thecode analysis module 316 may parse out the impression code as well asother information provided by each data record. As described above, theinformation may include customer identification, the identity of theproducts relevant to a particular impression code, originating device ofthe data record, current date and time of creation, and the like. Thecode analysis module 316 may then create a transaction record for eachparsed data record and store the record in the code server database 138via database interface module 318.

Similarly, in embodiments where the identity of an advertisingimpression is coded into a corresponding impression code, the codeanalysis module 316 may parse out the identity of an advertisingimpression that relates to a particular impression code. The codeanalysis module 316 may then create transaction records based on thedata, and store the transaction records in the code server database 138via database interface module 318.

In further embodiments, where individual impression codes are originallyprovided in response to personal information provided by users, the codeserver database 138 may be pre-loaded with this personal information.Accordingly, the code analysis module 316 may access the code serverdatabase 138 via the database interface module 318 to obtain thesupplied personal information, and match one or more of the impressioncodes to the personal information. The code analysis module 316 may thencreate transaction records based on the matched data and store therecords in the code server database 138 via database interface module318.

The code analysis module 316 may also be employed to match an impressioncode with an advertising impression. The code analysis module 316 mayemploy a database, such as the code server database 138 illustrated inFIG. 4. As shown, FIG. 4 is a block diagram 400 illustrating thecontents of an exemplary code server database 138 shown in FIG. 1. Theexemplary code server database 138 may contain a code informationsection 402 and a transaction records sections 404. The code informationsection 402 may contain a list of advertising impressions 406. Further,for each advertising impression, one or more of the impression codesrelated to the particular advertising impression are listed. Anexemplary listing 408 is illustrated in FIG. 4. Accordingly, the codeanalysis module 316 may search through each listing in code informationsection 402 until an advertising impression that corresponds to theimpression code is found. In alternative embodiments, the information inthe code information section 402 may be organized by impression codesrather than by advertising impressions. However, it will be appreciatedthat in still other embodiments, code information section 402 may beorganized using other hierarchical database structure, so long as eachimpression code corresponds with an advertising impression. Once thecorrespondence between an acquired impression code and a database entryfor the impression code has been determined, the code analysis module316 may then create a transaction record based on the matched data andstore the record in the transaction records section 404 of the codeserver database 138.

In additional embodiments, the code analysis module 316 may also enterany relevant transaction information into the transaction record. Forexample, in some embodiments, the code analysis module 316 may enter thecompletion date and time of the transaction into the transaction record.However, it will be appreciated that other embodiments, information suchas purchase price, quantity of commodities purchased, location of thepurchase, commodity description (e.g., size, manufacturer, data ofmanufacture, provider, condition, special qualities, etc.), as well asother information that pertain to the transaction, may be entered intothe transaction record. The transaction record may then be stored in thecode server database 138.

Finally, the user interface module 320 may enable a databaseadministrator to manage, update, and perform maintenance on the codeserver database 138 via a user interface (not shown).

The exemplary processes in FIGS. 5-8 are illustrated as a collection ofblocks in a logical flow diagram, which represents a sequence ofoperations that can be implemented in hardware, software, and acombination thereof. In the context of software, the blocks representcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular abstract data types. The order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described blocks can be combined inany order and/or in parallel to implement the process. For discussionpurposes, the processes are described with reference to the environment100 of FIG. 1, although it may be implemented in other systemarchitectures.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process 500 used totrack a purchase cycle using impression codes. At block 502, the user104 may perceive an advertising impression for one of a variety ofimpression sources 106-116. For example, as described above, theadvertising impression may be one of an audio visual impression 118, aweb-based impression 120, a print impression 122, an audio impression124, an in-person impression 126, and an electronic message impression128. At block 504, the user may receive one or more impression codesfrom the advertising impression. For example, in some embodiments, theuser 104 may receive the impression codes through visual or auditorysenses and enter the impression codes into the wireless communicationdevice 102 via a user interface 224 or data input (e.g., a camera on thewireless communication device 102). In other embodiments, the wirelesscommunication device 102 may directly receive the impression codes via acommunication connection, such as via the Internet or through electronicmessages sent via a communication network. The impression codes mayprovide financial incentive, such as discounts and price reductions tothe user 104, if the impression codes are eventually made available tomarketers and advertisers. At block 506, the wireless communicationdevice 102 may store the one or more impression codes into a codedatabase 220 in memory 210. As described above, in some embodiments, thewireless communication device 102 may store additional information(e.g., customer identification, product identification, etc.) related toeach impression code along with the impression code.

At block 508, the one or more impression codes, including relatedinformation, may be provided from the wireless communication device 102to the code server 136 during a purchase transaction. According to thevarious embodiments, the one or more impression codes may be transmittedfrom the wireless communication device 102 to the code server 136 usingwireless technologies. At block 510, transaction records based on theimpression codes are created and stored by the code server 136 into thecode server database 138. In particular embodiments, the transactionrecords may include information related to the purchase transaction(i.e., time and place of purchase, price, numbers purchased, etc).Subsequently, process 500 may return to block 502 where the steps inblocks 502-510 are repeated for each of additional advertisingimpression perceived. At block 512, marketers and advertisers that haveaccess to the data stored in the code server database 138 may usesoftware applications to evaluate the transaction records. For example,in some embodiments, evaluation of the records may provide informationsuch as time from impression to purchase, location of purchase,frequency of purchase, and the like. Statistics and informationregarding consumers may also be ascertained. In this way, marketers andadvertisers may maximize the value of the advertising revenue bymodifying or developing advertising techniques based on their analysis.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process 600 fortransmitting one or more impression codes during an in-person purchasetransaction. Process 600 further illustrates block 508 of exemplaryprocess 500, as shown in FIG. 5. At block 602, the user 104 may purchaseone or more commodities. At block 604, the code server 136, having beennotified by the casher register 130 or the point of sale server 132 thatcommodities have been purchased, may activate the reader 134 to detectone or more wireless communication devices, such as the wirelesscommunication device 102. Once the wireless communication device 102 isdetected, the code server 136 may attempt to establish contact. Atdecision block 606, the user 104 may be notified of the contact attemptby the code server 136, and the user 104 may command the wirelesscommunication device 102 to either agree or decline to establish contactwith the code server 136. In some embodiments, the prompt to the user104 to establish contact may be passed from the code server 136 to thewireless communication device 102 over a link established by the codemanagement module 218 of the wireless communication device and the codedetection module 314 of the code server, respectively, via readerinterface module 310 of the code server. The user 104 may also interactwith the prompt via the display 222, the user interface 224, and therespective display interface module 212 and user interface module 214.

If the user 104 commands the wireless communication device 102 todecline contact, process 600 ends at block 608, which also results inthe termination of process 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. However, if theuser 104 commands the wireless communication device 102 to establishconnection with the code server 136, then, in accordance with someembodiments, a communication link may be established by the codemanagement module 218 of the wireless communication device and the codedetection module 314 of the code server via reader interface module 310at block 610. This connection may allow the code server 136 to searchfor impression codes on the wireless communication device 102.

At decision block 612, the user 104 may be prompted to allow the codeserver 136, specifically, the code detection module 314, to search forone or more appropriate (or related to the commodities purchased)impression codes on the wireless communication device 102 over theestablished connection. If the user 104 commands the wirelesscommunication device 102 to decline the search, process 600 ends atblock 608, which also results in the termination of process 500illustrated in FIG. 5. However, if the user 104 commands the wirelesscommunication device 102 to accept the search, then the code server 136may attempt to detect one or more appropriate impression codes at block614.

At decision block 616, the code server 136, specifically, the codedetection module 314, may determine whether appropriate impression codesare found. If no appropriate impression codes are found, process 600ends at block 608, which also results in the termination of process 500illustrated in FIG. 5. However, if appropriate impression are found, theuser 104, at decision block 618, may be prompted to provide the one ormore impression codes from the wireless communication device 102 so thatthe impression codes may be received by the code server 136. If the userdeclines to provide the one or more appropriate impression codes atdecision block 614, process 600 ends at block 608, which also results inthe termination of process 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. However, if theuser commands the wireless communication device 102 to provide the oneor more appropriate impression codes, the impression codes are thenreceived by the code server 136 at block 620. At block 622, the process600 returns to process 500.

While the exemplary process 600, as illustrated above, includes decisionblocks 606, 616, and 618, where the user 104 may be prompted to makedecisions, it will be appreciated that the user 104 may configure thewireless communication device 102 to automatically provide affirmativeresponses at one or more of these decisions blocks. In this way, thecommunication device 102 may be configured to expedite the transmissionof one or more impression codes, or alternatively, automaticallytransmit the one or more impression codes during a purchase transaction.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process 700 fortransmitting one or more impression codes during a purchase transactionconducted on a wireless communication device 102. Process 700 furtherillustrates block 508 of exemplary process 500, as shown in FIG. 5. Atblock 702, the user 104 may purchase one or more commodities using thewireless communication device 102. In one embodiment, the user 104 maypurchase the one or more commodities by completing a web-basedtransaction using the micro-browser included in the display interfacemodule 212.

At decision block 704, the user 104 may use the micro-browser, which isincluded in the display interface module 202, to trigger the codemanagement module 218 to inform the code server 136 of the purchases.Alternatively, the code management module 218 may prompt the user toinform the code server 136 of the purchase when it determines that theuser may in the process of a purchase transaction. If the user 104determines that the code server 136 should not be informed of thepurchase, process 700 ends at block 706, which also results in thetermination of process 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. However, if the user104 determines that the code server 136 should be informed of thepurchase, the process may continue to decision block 708.

At decision block 708, the code server 136 may prompt the user 104 toallow the code detection module 314 to search for one or moreappropriate (or related to the commodities purchased) impression codeson the wireless communication device 102.

If the user 104 commands the wireless communication device 102 todecline the search, process 700 ends at block 706, which also results inthe termination of process 500 illustrated in FIG. 5. However, if theuser 104 commands the wireless communication device 102 to accept thesearch, then the code server 136 may attempt to detect one or moreappropriate impression codes at block 710.

At decision block 712, the code server 136, specifically, the codedetection module 314, may determine whether appropriate impression codesare found. If no appropriate impression codes are found, process 700ends at block 706, which also results in the termination of process 500illustrated in FIG. 5. However, if appropriate impression are found, theuser 104, at decision block 714, may be prompted to provide the one ormore impression codes from the wireless communication device 102 so thatthe impression codes may be received by the code server 136.

If the user declines to provide the one or more appropriate impressioncodes at decision block 714, process 700 ends at block 706, which alsoresults in the termination of process 500 illustrated in FIG. 5.However, if the user commands the wireless communication device 102 toprovide the one or more appropriate impression codes, the impressioncodes are then received by the code server 136 at block 716. At block718, the process 700 returns to process 500.

It will be appreciated that the user 104 may configure the wirelesscommunication device 102 to automatically provide an affirmativeresponse at decision blocks 708 and 714. In this way, the communicationdevice 102 may be configured to expedite the transmission of one or moreimpression codes, or alternatively, automatically transmit the one ormore impression codes during a purchase transaction.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process 800 forcreating transaction records from one or more impression codes during apurchase transaction. Process 800 further illustrates block 510 ofexemplary process 800, as shown in FIG. 5. At block 802, the codeanalysis module 316 may be used to obtain the identity of theadvertising impression from an impression code. As described above, invarious embodiments, obtaining the identity of the advertisingimpression may be accomplished by parsing the identity from theimpression code or the data record of the impression code that includethe identity of the advertising impression. In other embodiments, theidentity may be obtained by matching the impression code to thecorresponding advertising impression using code information section 402in code server database 138.

At block 804, as described above, the code analysis module 316 mayassociate the identified advertising impression with a purchasedcommodity in certain embodiments by accessing information from one ormore of the cash register 130, the point of sale server 132, orcomparable payment processing equipment. At block 806, the code analysismodule 316 may create a transaction record of the information from thevarious sources (e.g., customer identification, the identity of theproducts, originating device of the data record, purchase price, numberof commodities purchased, location of purchase, etc.), wherein thetransaction record includes the advertising impression identity.Subsequently, process 800 may return to block 802 where the steps inblocks 802-806 are repeated for each of the commodities purchased. Atblock 808, the process 800 returns to process 500.

While several embodiments of the disclosed invention have beendescribed, it should be apparent, however, that various modifications,alterations and adaptations to those embodiments may occur to personsordinarily skilled in the art with attainment of some or all of theadvantages of the disclosed invention.

1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a server, a short messagingservice (SMS) message sent via a wireless network, the SMS messageassociated with a wireless device, the SMS message providing anotification of an electronic purchase transaction conducted by thewireless device; determining, by the server, an impression codespecified by the SMS message, the impression code associated with anelectronic advertisement sent to the wireless device; and adding, by theserver, an entry to an electronic database, the electronic databasestoring transactional records of purchases conducted by the wirelessdevice, the entry electronically associating the impression code to theelectronic purchase transaction conducted by the wireless device.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising determining a web page sent to thewireless device, the web page linking to the electronic advertisementsent to the wireless device.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising searching the wireless device for the impression code.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising establishing communication withthe wireless device.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingprompting the wireless device to send the impression code.
 6. The methodof claim 1, further comprising associating the impression code topersonal information, the personal information associated with a user ofthe wireless device.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprisingassociating the impression code to product information, the productinformation associated with a product purchased by a user of thewireless device.
 8. A wireless device using a short messaging service(SMS) to notify a server, the wireless device comprising: a hardwareprocessor; and a memory device, the memory device storing instructions,the instructions when executed causing the hardware processor to performoperations, the operations comprising: receiving a selection associatedwith an electronic advertisement; determining an impression codeassociated with the electronic advertisement; generating an SMS messagein response to the selection associated with the electronicadvertisement, the SMS message comprising the impression code; andsending the SMS message via a wireless network to the server, the SMSmessage providing the impression code as a notification of the selectionassociated with the electronic advertisement.
 9. The wireless device ofclaim 8, wherein the operations further comprise receiving theelectronic advertisement via the wireless network.
 10. The wirelessdevice of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise storing theimpression code in an electronic database, the electronic databaseelectronically associating the impression code to the electronicadvertisement.
 11. The wireless device of claim 8, wherein theoperations further comprise storing an electronic database thatelectronically associates impression codes to electronic advertisements.12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein the operations furthercomprise searching the electronic database to identify the impressioncode of the impression codes that is electronically associated with theelectronic advertisement of the electronic advertisements.
 13. Thewireless device of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprisedetermining an address associated with the server.
 14. The wirelessdevice of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining aweb page sent to the wireless device, the web page linking to theelectronic advertisement.
 15. A memory device storing instructions thatwhen executed cause a hardware processor to perform operations, theoperations comprising: wirelessly receiving an electronic advertisementsent via a wireless network; conducting an electronic purchasetransaction in response to a selection of the electronic advertisement;identifying an impression code associated with the electronicadvertisement; generating an SMS message in response to the electronicpurchase transaction, the SMS message specifying the impression code;and sending the SMS message via the wireless network to a server, theSMS message providing a notification of the impression code associatedwith the electronic advertisement.
 16. The memory device of claim 15,wherein the operations further comprise storing the impression code inan electronic database, the electronic database electronicallyassociating the impression code to the electronic advertisement.
 17. Thememory device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprisestoring an electronic database that electronically associates impressioncodes to electronic advertisements.
 18. The memory device of claim 17,wherein the operations further comprise searching the electronicdatabase to identify the impression code of the impression codes that iselectronically associated with the electronic advertisement of theelectronic advertisements.
 19. The memory device of claim 15, whereinthe operations further comprise determining an address associated withthe server.
 20. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the operationsfurther comprise determining a web page sent to the wireless device, theweb page linking to the electronic advertisement.